UCSB Drops Heartbreaker to UC Davis

DAVIS, Calif. -
After taking a two-games-to-none lead, the UC Santa Barbara women's volleyball team saw UC Davis rally to win three in a row to stun the Gauchos on Saturday night.

UCSB captured the first two games, 30-28 and 25-21, but watched as the Aggies won 25-21, 25-15, 15-8 to hand the Gauchos their second conference loss of the season. UCSB is now 11-9 overall and 5-2 in the Big West. UC Davis is 13-7, 5-3.

UCSB does, however, still hold a second-place spot in the Big West.

Stacey Schmidt led Santa Barbara with 18 kills while Kara Sherrard picked up her seventh double-double of the season and her third in a row with 15 kills and 15 digs. Charlene DeHoog, who had 18 kills in a sweep of Pacific on Friday, had 15 kills.

Trailing 23-20 in the first set, UCSB got consecutive kills from Kasey Kipp, DeHoog and Sherrard to knot things up and the teams see-sawed until DeHoog and Sherrard put away kills to finally win the first battle.

In the second set Santa Barbara trailed 14-10 until Sherrard had a kill and a service ace and Stacey Schmidt had a pair of block assists and two kills during a seven point run to put the Gauchos up 17-14 and the team didn't trail the rest of the set.

However, with a chance to close out the match while holding a 19-14 lead in the third set, the Gauchos saw the Aggies turn it on. Davis took a 21-19 lead on one of Kayla Varney's 19 kills and it led UCD to a game three win.

UCSB never led in the fourth or fifth sets in falling for just the second time in conference play.

The Gauchos return home on Oct. 22 vs. UC Irvine. Tickets are available by calling (805) 893-UCSB or click here.

The Intercollegiate Athletics Ticket Office has two parking spaces adjacent to the building and is now open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., making it easier than ever for fans to purchase tickets. The two parking spots, designated specifically for the Ticket Office, are also available during weekday hours, which are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Gaucho Fund, launched as part of the Dare to Be Great strategic plan, is UCSB Athletics' annual giving program to provide vital funding support for scholarships, academic success and leadership development for Gaucho student-athletes. The Gaucho Fund is the anchor to the Dare to Be Great campaign.

GKids is the official kids club of UCSB Athletics. Members receive a free GKids t-shirt, free admittance to tons of Gaucho games, opportunities to be ball boys and girls at games, a special birthday greeting from Olie (the GKids mascot) and much, much more! For more information on GKids, or to become a member, please click here.